By Katie Cadiao, County of San Diego Communications Office

April 6, 2022 (San Diego) - The County is modifying its COVID-19 testing and vaccination efforts to better reach San Diegans who struggle with accessing these services.

East County News Service

January 12, 2022 (Lemon Grove) – Free COVID-19 and flu vaccines are available Saturday, January 15 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Lemon Grove Academy Middle School, 7866 Lincoln Street in Lemon Grove.

By Katie Cadiao, County of San Diego Communications Office

Photo:  A woman readies herself to receive a COVID-19 vaccine at the Educational Cultural Complex site in Mountain View.

November 17, 2021 (San Diego) - The County of San Diego supports the California Department of Public Health recommendation for a COVID-19 booster dose for anyone 18 and older who wants one and meets the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for time between doses.

By Miriam Raftery

November 9, 2021 (San Diego) -- This holiday season, Assemblywoman Dr. Akilah Weber is giving back to the community by hosting the 79^th Assembly district’s 9^th annual Drive-Through Turkey Giveaway and Walk-Up Vaccination Clinic on Saturday, November 20 from 10 a.m. to 12 noon at the Joe and Vi Jacobs Center, 404 Euclid Avenue in east San Diego.

National survey by ResumeBuilder finds 63% of hiring managers prefer candidates who list vaccine status—and many reject unvaccinated applicants

Source:  ResumeBuilder.com

September 22, 2021 (Seattle, Wash.) – If you’re looking for a job, you may want to roll up your sleeve and get the “jab” first.  A nationwide survey of 1,250 conducted by  ResumeBuilder.com, a resource for professional resume templates, found that one-third of hiring manages will ignore resumes without a COVID-19 vaccine status – and 63% say they prefer candidates who list vaccine status on their resumes.  A growing number of companies are now requiring vaccines and/or giving first preference in hiring to those job-seekers who are fully vaccinated.

By Joe Hong, CalMatters

CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters

Photo:  Gov. Gavin Newsom announces all school teachers and employees will be required to be vaccinated or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing at a press conference at Carl B. Munck school in Oakland on Aug. 11, 2021. Photo by Anne Wernikoff, CalMatters

August 24, 2021 (Sacramento) - After months of reluctance, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday mandated that all California school employees be vaccinated for COVID-19 or be tested weekly.

By Chris Jennewein, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

Photo:  A San Diego teen is vaccinated at a mobile site at the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation. Image from county video

July 14, 2021 (San Diego) - The San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency reported 348 new cases of coronavirus on Tuesday as the more infectious “delta” variant spreads and vaccinations slow.

By Miriam Raftery

June 10, 2021 (San Diego) – San Diego County is in the final innings of reaching herd immunity, after rallying to reach one of the highest vaccination rates in the state. So now the County is teaming up with the Padres to give a free pair of tickets for a future Padres game and a Padres Hero T-shirt to every fan who gets vaccinated at Petco Park on June 12 or June 26.  (While supplies last; minors must have a parent present.)

Sources: Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts and Addiction Policy Forum

May 10, 2021 (New York and Bethesda) -- Health officials have released an update that individuals with substance use disorders (SUD) are at a heightened risk for serious complications from COVID-19 and underscored the importance for individuals with SUD and their caregivers to get vaccinated.   

Source:  U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

May 3, 2021 (San Diego) - Today, the US Department of Health and Human Services, through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is announcing a new program covering costs of administering COVID-19 vaccines to patients enrolled in health plans that either do not cover vaccination fees or cover them with patient cost-sharing. Since providers cannot bill patients for COVID-19 vaccination fees, this new program, the COVID-19 Coverage Assistance Fund (CAF), addresses an outstanding compensation need for providers on the front lines vaccinating underinsured patients.

By Alexa Oslowski

Source: former Councilmember Akilah Weber’s Twitter feed

April 20, 2021 (La Mesa) - On April 13 La Mesa City Council passed a resolution proposed by councilmembers Jack Shu and Bill Baber to improve vaccine equity by Juneteenth, or June 19.

The number of invited community health centers grows from 950 to more than 1,400

Source:  U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

April 7, 2021 (Washington, D.C.) - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra today announced that all HRSA-funded health centers and Health Center Program look-alikes (LALs) will now be invited to participate in the Health Center COVID-19 Vaccine Program. These health centers will have the opportunity to join the program as soon as they are ready, increasing the total number of health centers that have been invited to 1,470 nationwide. This expansion will be made through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

By Chris Jennewein, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

Photo:  People with appointments line up at the Sharp Covid-19 vaccination supersite at Grossmont Center in La Mesa. Photo by Chris Stone

March 2, 2021 (San Diego) - The San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency reported 376 new cases of coronavirus and 14 deaths Tuesday as new shipments of vaccine boosted the currently available doses over 100,000.

By Mike Allen

Photo: needle exchange; CC by SA-NC

February 28, 2021 (Santee) -- Santee wants San Diego County to conduct comprehensive research about its recently resumed needle exchange program before the Santee City Council weighs in on supporting or opposing the formerly banned program.